A Different Situation
by StrawberryLulzJamm
Summary: Starts after chapter 205 of manga. Allen Walker has left the Order, and is now being forced to make some important decisions and fight dangerous battles. What steps will the young exorcist take to protect himself and his friends?
1. Chapter 1

Hey everyone! So this story starts off where chapter 205 of the -man manga finished off. It's in the same world, with some modifications. Basically its bringing to life what I thought would be interesting to happen right about now.

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes** belong to Katsura Hoshino **and all other characters, ideas and themes **belong to me. **

Review critically!

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><p>Allen wandered slowly through the streets of the town. The rising sun was harsh on his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he slept, and he was exhausted. It was dawn, and it had been three, no, four days since his messy break out of headquarters. He didn't know where to go, or what to do. All he could do was walk. After bidding Lenalee farewell, he'd gone into the ark, and opened a gate to a deserted road with nothing but the horizon on either side. And then he'd begun to walk to this road, with no clue where it would take him. He used this opportunity to think. About himself, about Mana and about his role in this screwed up mess. But soon enough, Mr. Exhaustion had overcome him, and he was unable to think anymore.<p>

And now, as he dragged his feet through the town, he could smell the aroma of fresh baked goods from nearby.

The town was starting to come to life, and the early birds were getting started with breakfast, hoping to begin their day bright and early. Allen wondered if he'd be able to find something to eat. In his hurry to escape, accompanied by Timcampy, Tykki, and Road, he obviously had no chance to sneak into his room for any of his belongings.

He was stranded, and walked on in his worn out sandals, with his trusted golem fluttering by his side. His clothes were a mess, dirty and ripped up, and his hair matted with grease and sweat after days in a jail cell. He had ditched the bloody white garment he had on for a long-sleeved khaki hoodie he had found on a clothing line at a house some blocks back. He didn't want people to notice his strangely tatooed arm, or his white hair and cursed eye. At this point in time, he wanted zero contact with anybody. He approached an alley between two yet to open shops, and found a large cardboard box which he broke apart and laid on the floor as a pathetic substitution for a mattress. He bundled up upon his new bed and was thankful when sleep overpowered him, and his consciousness was lost.

The previously deserted streets now started to fill up with men opening shops and women doing their early shopping, while kids began to stir up trouble. And the people passed by this shadow of a traveller, non paying any attention to the young man who was lost in the city of dreams.

"Hey Ma! There's a circus in town! Didja hear? Can we go? Please please please!" cried out young Alfred, and he trailed behind his mother, who was out to get groceries.

She turned to her son, and after considering his proposal, she replied, "A circus? Here? That hasn't happened in a while, no? Listen. If you're good today, then I'll let you go for a while. But you have to go with an adult! Got it?"

Alfred's eyes lit up, and he immediately found a solution.

"Jess can take me! I think she likes the circus too. What do you think Ma? Jess' an adult too right?"

Jess was the town's jack of all trades. She was orphaned from a young age, but lived well and did a lot of odd jobs around the town. She managed to stay out of trouble and soon earned the trust of everyone. She was raised by the townsfolk, and the children loved her because he was fun to play with. She knew lots of 'secret hideouts' around town and was very good with keeping the children busy. When she had no job, this was her favourite pass-time. And despite being a girl, she was considered dependable, with her strength and tomboyish looks.

Alfred's mother knew her well, she had been almost like a mother figure to Jess during her younger years, helping her get through life as a young girl with no home. She had offered to adopt her many times, but Jess loved the way she lived. So homeless she stayed.

"Alright fine. But only if she's not busy, alright? Don't you add anymore stress on her, she's got enough to deal with!" said Alfred's mother, succumbing to the idea.

Jess did indeed love the circus. The concept of these people making a living while travelling made her feel hopeful, that she too can achieve something despite being a street rat. And off ran Alfred, eager to find Jess and ask her to accompany him and his friends to the circus. He had seen their posters yesterday, announcing they would be having a show everyday at the town for 3 days. His friend suggested the idea first, and Alfred jumped up at the thought of watching clowns and freaks do crazy stunts.

He found Jess, stepping out of Mr. Dean's vegetable shop. She was carrying a basket full of cabbage. Jess was wearing a black shirt with brown cut-off pants, and brown sandals. Her blue eyes lit up when she spotted Alfred, and she set the basket down to greet him. Alfred noticed how her long auburn hair fell out of the loose bun and around her shoulders.

All the boys in the town thought she was pretty. He had even tried asking her out before, resulting in a friendly rejection. He was too young, and he hated that. Now, he looked at her tanned face, and wondered if he ever had a chance. He was a head fast young boy, everyone knew that. He was just 10, yet he thought and acted much older sometimes. At 17, he was sure she was a bit old, but who says that he can't date an older girl. His math teacher at school was married, to a man 8 years younger than herself. It was possible.

And with this in mind, Alfred ran up to Jess.

"Heyy! Guess what? There's a circus! Mom says I can go if you come with. Whadd'ya say, huh Jess? Wanna go to the circuuusss...?" he said as he picked up the basket, intending to carry it for her to her destination.

She laughed at his eagerness, "Thanks Alfred. I gotta get that to Miss Daphne's house."

She ran back into the store, grabbed a small backpack and waving at Mr. Dean, and started walking in the direction of Miss Daphne's house. She pulled a water bottle from her backpack, and took a sip before setting it in the bag and throwing the bag over her shoulder.

"So the circus huh? I saw their poster this morning. I guess there's no reason not to go is there? Let me just finish up my work for today, and come meet me at the town square in the evening and we can go. Cool?" she turned to look at him.

His brown eyes widened, and he almost lost a hold on the basket, "Oh wow! Thanks Jess! Joey and Bill are coming too, so i'll let them know too."

Jess nodded and look ahead, it was a beautiful day. It was late spring, and though it had been raining the past few weeks, the clouds had cleared up and the sun was shining bright today. They arrived at their destination, making little conversation about Alfred's dad coming back to the town next week. He was excited to see his father, and would tell him all about the circus. He gave the basket to Miss Daphne who had opened the door at their arrival, and bid both her and Jess farewell, before spinning around and dashing off to bring his friends the good news.

Jess was walking down the busy street, greeting the freindly shop owners on her way to her makeshift home. She had gathered supplies that the townfolk had given her, and set up a room for herself in the small attic of an unfinished building. The lease owner had allowed her to live there, as he knew that she would not be able to pay for rent. There was one condition to her living there, and that was that she would never get into trouble. The minute he got wind of her doing anything troublesome, she was out. Jess respected these rules, she wasn't looking for trouble, and was thankful for the place to sleep.

Jess looked up to see Joey, Alfred's freind racing down the street on his bike, headed straight for her, screaming, " Jess! Outta the way! I can't move in time!" She jumped to the side and just barely avoided getting run over, laughing at him all the while. The town was full of lively kids, and she had made it her goal to make sure they all stayed happy. Waving at Joey as he faded out of her view, she got up and dusted herself off, only to notice someone sleeping on the ground beside her.

She walked towards the person, unsure of who he was. She had never seen him before. He looked like a traveller, but had nothing on his person, and their town was in the middle of nowhere. Upon getting a closer look, she noticed he had snow white hair, and a strange mark over his left eye. He looked tired, and he was dirty. She noticed his calloused and bruised up feet, barely covered by what was left of his sandals. She had no idea of how someone like him had arrived there, but she couldn't leave him.

She sat down in front of him, and proceeded to poke his cheeks. He didn't look dangerous, and she doubted he could hide any weapons under is ripped up clothes. Only his hoodie looked new, and Jess laughed when she pondered on how he may have got that.

The young man's eyes opened slowly, and widened as they focused upon her face.

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><p>Cliffie yay! Opinions, anyone? XD<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Inspiration hit me, and I really wanted to upload since I had enough for another chapter. I'm sorry for the slow progress but I really want to develop a certain 'mood' before any big plot changes. The third chapter may not be up for a while - busy these days with life and all.

I just realized I'd been spelling Timcanpy's name with an 'm' not an 'n' but I'll fix it from this point onwards!

Thank you for the reviews! I hope you all like this chapter as much as the first!

**Also, I am in desperate need of a beta reader! Please contact me if you'd like to beta this story~**

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes** belong to Katsura Hoshino **and all other characters, ideas and themes **belong to me. **

Review critically!

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><p>It took a moment for Allen to grasp the situation, and he jumped up, looking like a deer in headlights, backed up against the wall of the alley. He eyed the young girl warily; she didn't look like a threat, just an unexpected presence.<p>

She was staring at him, and now that he looked carefully, there was a ghost of a smile playing on the sides of her big lips.

She was trying not to laugh! At him!

Allen was offended. Here he was, desperate for food and some answers, and here is some random girl laughing at his misery. How nice.

Allen scoffed as he released his hold on the bricks. He paid the girl no heed as he scanned the alley, looking for his golem. All he had to do was find Timcampy and get out of that town. Hopefully after finding some scraps of food somewhere. He was starving, and his stomach made this fact most obvious. He turned back to the girl when her barely there smile broke out into full-out laughter. He frowned, his situation wasn't really all that funny. He had to hide, and then try to find out what he was. All before that weirdo Apocryphos thing found him and tried again to 'unite' with him.

The war against the Earl wouldn't take a time-out to wait for him. Neither would the 14th Noah, waiting for his chance to take over. Allen could feel his presence, waiting, mocking. He faced the girl, still sitting where she was before, only now she was taking deep breaths, trying to recover from her episode of laughter.

"Look. I don't know who you are, but can you not laugh at me like that? What's so funny, anyway?" he stated, impatient and as tired as one can be.

He knew he was being rude, saying things he'd never say to a young woman. But this was a special circumstance. She got up, dusted her pants off, and stretched out her hand.

"Hey," she said, a genuine smile spreading across her face, "My name's Jess. Sorry, I wasn't trying to offend you or anything, you just looked funny with that expression on your face. Are you looking for something? Where are you from?"

Allen observed her and realized he wasn't like Kanda. He wasn't about to be rude to a girl who was waiting for his hand to shake. Remembering Mana's advice on manners, he took her hand and smiled back.

"No, its fine. My name's Allen Walker. I'm..uhh..just..travelling around I guess. It's nice to meet you."

Allen noticed something flutter into the alley, and chuckled as Timcanpy, in his compact size, settled on Jess' shoulder. Her eyes widened as she observed the bird-like thing, inches away from her face.

"What is it? It's so cute!", she cried out, attempting to catch Timcanpy.

Allen snickered at her expression, "He's a golem. Uhh..I guess you can say he's a ...well, to be honest, I'm not too sure of what he is myself."

Jess tried once more to catch Timcanpy and succeeded this time, until he slipped out of her hands and fluttered up around her. She was fascinated. And not just by the little bird-like thing, but it's master as well.

She turned back to face Allen, "So obviously you walked here right?" she asked, referring to his extremely worn out sandals.

Allen's face turned red, and he nodded slowly. "Yeah, I've just been trying to figure some things out and before I knew it I was walking into this town", he fessed up.

He was surprised she didn't comment on his strange looks yet. Usually, that was the first thing people talked to him about; his old-man like hair or the strange evil-looking mark on his face.

Jess was about to reply, when Allen's stomach let out a loud growl.

Jess laughed, "When was the last time you had a meal? Come on, I was on my way home for some dinner."

She took his hand in hers and proceeded to pull him with impressive force out of the alley.

He could do nothing but follow, and slowly took in the vibrant atmosphere as the townspeople continued on in their dialy lives, uninterrupted. He noticed her greet many people along the way, referring to him as a 'guest' when questioned. They all seemed very friendly, and to Allen, who for the past few months had experienced nothing but pain and agony, this was very refreshing. He felt a real smile creep up on his lips, and he gathered up the energy to walk in stride with this stranger who had found him. She seemed very confident, but Allen could sense a certain loneliness about her. She almost reminded him of himself, but he couldn't be sure why. And now, as they neared a building that the construction team seemed to have given up on, he started to see why.

They arrived at her 'home' and Allen realized why she reminded him of himself so much. She was an orphan. Like he was, before Mana found him. Allen felt a tiny tinge of respect for this young woman, who was able to face her everyday life to the point of inviting a stranger over to dinner, when she clearly may not even have enough to feed herself. Cute, and selfless, but stupid. It made him angry, the prospect of her offering what she did not own. Maybe it was because of what he'd been through, but he found it hard to believe there was someone this good out there.

Allen stopped at the doorway to study the tiny space. The walls were unpainted, and there were no windows, just big holes in the walls, where the windows should be. There was a small oven hooked up to an extension cord which connected to someplace outside the actual structure, and a mattress laid on the ground with a thin pillow and worn out sheets. Jess walked past him and threw her backpack on the floor beside a pair of steel-toe boots and walked up to a cabinet near what appeared to be a shabby version of a kitchen sink. He went to a ripped up sofa near one of the 'windows' and sat down. She followed shortly, holding on to two cups.

"Orange juice? You look like you need the Vitamin C." She chuckled and sat down next to him, handing him one of the cups.

"Thanks," Allen answered, truly grateful as he gulped down the orange fluid.

Jess set her cup down on the floor beside them since there was no table, and turned to face him. "So. What's the game plan? You seem like a nice guy, yet you seem to have gotten yourself in quite the mess."

Allen turned to face her, he had no idea what to say.

Obviously he can't tell her about what he does, or who the Noah are, or the fact that he is; according to Tykki and his own new revelation, two horrible monsters in one body. He was a hypocrite, and it took a Noah for him to figure that out.

He remembered Tykki's words to him, "_You are the worst one out of all of us, Allen". _

Reality had punched him in the face, with a good dose of irony to boot. How could he not notice that he was judging the Noah for being evil when he himself was about to turn into something worse. Or was he already worse? He wasn't sure anymore. He was an exorcist that wields innocence, and now he's also turning into a Noah.

Surely there was someone out there, having all the goodluck while he himself had been screwed over by Karma. The essence of _who he is_ was now in question. Which of these three was he truly supposed to be? God had given him innocence, yet due to some unfortunate occurences he has also become the enemy of the innocence.

And the church, instead of helping him get through this, had decided to lock him up and deem him dangerous. He had overheard the announcements in the moments before his departure with Tykki and Road. Those damn golems were everywhere. Allen, by order of the pope himself, was now officially a Noah, and his rights as an exorcist – well, there are none anymore.

He started to laugh, and Jess could only stare at him. His situation was hopeless, how on earth can he figure things out now? Who was going to give him answers? Mana was dead, Cross had disappeared, Link...was hopefully going to be alright.

He bit his lip, staring out the windowless hole in the wall, and remembered Link putting a seal around the Apocryphos as Allen escaped with Tykki and Road. Link had ended up alone with that **thing, **and Allen was sick with worry. His frustration was building up; he had no idea where he was meant to be! It was like that feeling that one has forgotten something so important that very bad things would happen if he did not remember. And yet, he could not remember no matter how much he tried. He thanked Jess again for the orange juice and stood up.

"You're right about me being in a mess. And I'm not sure how on earth it happened, but I'm afraid I won't find any answers here. Thanks for the refreshment but I've got to get going now", he stated and started to walk toward the door.

Jess stood up and followed him.

"Whoa. Hold on there! You're hungry and tired. At least eat something, or sleep for a while! Listen, you've got nowhere to go, right? So why are you in such a hurry?", she asked.

He stopped walking. She was right, there was no need for him to hurry.

But then Tykki's words disrupted his thoughts yet again, and he thought of how he _sows chaos and conflic_t wherever he goes. He turned to look at the young girl, obviously working hard to survive. How could he be sure that she wouldn't be the next victim of his bad luck? He had to leave, soon.

"No, I'm not in a hurry to get anywhere, but I'm not going to gain anything by staying right? Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, I'm a strong guy! I've actually just remembered some people I knew from a while back, so I'm thinking of going to see them" he laughed.

His smile was big and it truly was genuine, but his words were not. Although he did think of the circus folk from his time with Mana, he did not consider himself close to them, nor would he bother searching for them. They wouldn't have known anything. After all, he wasn't sure if even Mana knew enough to answer the questions haunting his mind.

And so he said his goodbyes, and stepped out, feeling like it would not be the last he saw of the young woman.


	3. Chapter 3

I introduce to you...Chapter 3! I've already got my ideas for the other chapters so hopefully I won't be gone too long! So sorry for the wait, I've had some life issues to deal with first, and as this is a hobby, it unfortunately takes second place.

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes belong to Katsura Hoshino and all other characters, ideas and themes belong to me.

Review critically!

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><p>The sun shone bright as the day went on. After walking out of Jess' "apartment", Allen decided he'd try to find some odd jobs he could do around the busy town in exchange for food. He stumbled upon an old man who needed help unloading his truck full of vegetables into his little shop, and Allen spent a few hours helping him out. After he was done, he was paid a decent amount of money in cash, and given a small basket of food as thanks. He could not have been more grateful toward the old man.<p>

He stumbled upon a public bath and decided it was worth spending some of his money getting himself presentable. When at the public bath, he had deemed the sandals unfit for keeping and tossed them in a garbage can. They were doing a lousy job protecting his feet anyway.

The sun's rays had become a lot softer as the day wore on, and Allen had grown weary. He was almost out of the town; most houses and shops were now behind him, and he was now running on a full stomach. He sat down on a bench at the side of the path and let his drowsiness take over as he sunk into a blissful and deep sleep. Around him, there were children headed to the valley to see the new circus that had come to town; and among them, his new freind Jess.

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><p>Back at Headquarters, things were chaotic. The exorcists were still searching all nearby areas for Allen Walker. The scientists and finders were doing their best to restore headquarters into somewhat usable space. The third exorcists had been there, and their binding spells and attacks had left the place a mess of rubble.<p>

Lenalee's shoes tapped as she walked the remainder of the halls at headquarters. Around her, the scientists were helping transport material to fix the damage caused by the third exorcists. She was sent along with several others to search for Allen. And although Lenalee had personally seen him leave, she didn't tell the others of their encounter and quietly joined in the pointless search of the area.

Now, as she approached the meeting room, her brain was working overtime thinking of what she was going to tell her brother and Leverrier. Komui had become different in his demeanour since Allen busted out of the jail with the Noah. He barked out orders and did not seem ready to accept any sort of failure.

She faintly heard Leverrier's loud booming voice, but could not make out the details. He was yelling, most likely at the other exorcists who got there before her. Allen's escape had angered him just as much if not more than it did Komui.

Lenalee arrived at the huge doors, trying to ignore the fear growing within her. She was nervous, of facing them. Those people that wanted to trap Allen and keep him prisoner. She was scared for him, and didn't know what she could possibly do to help him. He was turning into a Noah, was that really the only option left for him? With a deep breath, Lenalee swung the doors open and slipped into the room.

Lenalee walked into the room to find Leverrier seated at the head of the table. Komui looked up at her and his eyes lingered on her for a moment before he went back to addressing the paperwork in front of him. "So now what are we supposed to do? They say they've searched everywhere!"

"No, we need to expand the search further. I'm sure he would not have gone far, think about it. He's injured, and starved, with a peirced stomach and a giant golem to go along with that. Even the Noah along with him seemed really beat", answered Leverrier. "We absolutely have to bring him back."

Komui pushed his glasses up and rubbed the bridge of his nose, then set the glasses back down on his recently very thin face. Ever since Allen had been imprisoned, Komui had seemed to be under a lot of stress. And although he would joke around and pretend to be fine, he could not fool his little sister Lenalee.

She walked up to the large table and sat down beside Miranda, who was still drying her tears. The whole fiasco had really gotten to her, and she was already tired as it is. It definitely didn't take much to break her down. And then there's also the fact that Link was dead. Leverrier did not announce it, but word went around of the scene found in the basement. What on earth was it that caused the entire commotion? The scientists thought it was all the Noah's doing, busting into the cell to get Allen out and take him to the Millenium Earl. They believed Allen had now betrayed them all. This made Lenalee incredibly angry. Not just at the way the others thought, but at herself as well, and her inability to help Allen at a time when he needed her most. How could they be surprised at him leaving, when he was being tortured and held prisoner all this time. Who was it that truly betrayed the other? Lenalee was sure it was not Allen.

"Lenalee. LENALEE!" She jumped up as she heard her name. Someone had been calling her for a while. She looked up to see her brother staring at her, eyes full of worry. "Are you alright?", he asked. As she nodded he continued, "Did you find anything?"

"No...I didn't find any clues anywhere...It's like..he just...disappeared." She felt bad lying to her brother, but for some reason, protecting Allen, after she had failed him so bad, seemed much more important at the moment.

But her hesitation did not go unnoticed. Leverrier's eyes narrowed as he studied her face. "Are you sure? It's very important that you do not hide anything from the Order right now."

Lenalee could do nothing but look down, aware of that cold pair of eyes fixed on her. She could not forget the pain Leverrier caused her. She never would. His presence in the room terrified her, and she could not focus on what she had originally set her mind to. "Lenalee. Please tell us everything you know. You are clearly hiding something."

Komui glared at Leverrier, but then quickly shifted his eyes. He did not want the man attacking his little sister, but the man was right. Lenalee knew something, and was hiding it from them. Not that he didn't trust her, but when it came to this matter, it was too important. Komui had to temporarily dismiss all personal feelings, and find Allen. They had to bring him back, before he reached the Noah.

Unknown to the others, Komui had the chance to speak to Leverrier about a lot of things as the exorcists searched for Allen. He was one of the very few people who knew, that Link was in fact, alive, besides Master Zhu. Leverrier had told him the truth about Allen's existence, and why the Order considered him so damn important. The truth was beyond anyone's wildest dreams, and Komui could not afford to take things lightly anymore. They were in a war, that could result in millions dying if they were to be careless for even a moment. And so with his mind made up, Komui looked up at Lenalee, cleared his throat, and started to speak. He felt dozens of knives stab him in the gut as he spoke those harsh words to his baby sister; whom he cherished more than anyone in the whole world.

Lenalee stared at him blankly at first, not understanding, but then, as his lips continued to move, she began to comprehend the seriousness of the situation. She would not be able to get away with lying. This was made clear. But her heart quivered, and she found herself glad that she was sitting down, for her legs may not have been able to hold her much longer.

Where was her loving and caring brother, who would break down mountains just to make sure she was happy? Who was this stone-cold man sitting in front of her, seemingly apathetic to her emotions? He paid no heed to the strong relationship she had with Allen. That did not matter to this man. In fact, the truth stabbed at her, for as she looked at him she realized for the first time ever; that her dear brother Komui, her protector, almost looked like the ruthless leader sitting beside him. She could not control the flow of tears from her eyes.

Lenalee was faintly aware of Miranda's hand squeezing hers under the table, but the tears still flowed. This place, her home, was ruined. There was no going back. Everyone had changed, everyone had a personal dilemma, and there was nothing she could do but sit there and cry as she pondered this. She would have to tell them. Allen is not with the Noah, he's alone. And he's not around here anymore. He's taken the Arc for the last time, and gone to someplace far away. She knew he would not be easy to find, he's hidden himself, like he did Kanda. They would not be able to find him no matter how hard they searched. Until Allen wanted to be found, his place in this world was to remain a mystery. And so Lenalee wiped the tears from her eyes, and cleared her throat.

She told them of her breif encounter with Allen, his situation, and what he said he planned to do from this point onwards. And then she observed as they took the information in stride. Her brother and Leverrier, now seemingly in agreement, wasted no time in beginning the discussion of what would be their next move. Lenalee, Miranda and the other exorcists were dismissed.

Stepping out into the hallway, Lenalee decided to help the scientists with reorganizing some of the mess, and as she slipped into a numb routine, her thoughts wandered off to Allen and Lavi. Both missing and in need of help. Both of whom she felt she had failed.

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><p>Tada! I really wanted to do a chapter on Lenalee, I feel like her thoughts on this matter are truly important, but she hasn't been given much limelight in the series. I hope y'all liked it! Again: Review, review, review!<p>

Next time on A Different Situation: Ohmigosh! Is that...plot development? XD


	4. Chapter 4

Hello hello! First of all, I'd like to thank all you loyal readers that kept coming back despite my ridiculously out of whack updates. But as I promised, plot development! Yay! And some new characters ;)

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes belong to Katsura Hoshino and all other characters, ideas and themes belong to me.

Review critically!

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><p>Alfred ran ahead of Jess with his friends. They were yelling at each other at the tops of their lungs, eager to discuss all the strange things they'd seen at the circus. It was just past 9pm and they had just left the giant red and white tent. Jess was trailing slowly behind the boys. She loved the show, it was fun, exciting and different. It was rare for the circus to come around by their little town, but when it did, Jess was sure to go.<p>

Ever since she was a child, she remembered going to the circus and watching the clowns with their happy masks and all the exciting tricks. She liked it because she knew that under those happy faces were homeless people just like her. People who had no family to go back to. The circus was their family, and Jess would give anything for the freedom.

As she walked behind the boys in the dark, the thought finally occurred to her. If she would give anything to join the circus, why couldn't she just join? She had no home to worry about, no family to leave behind, no belongings to carry around. Sure, she'd miss the kind people of the town, but she would get to live her dream life, without worrying about being different from anyone around her. She couldn't help but smile, thinking of the life that was awaiting her. The circus was going to leave the following night, after their next show. Jess decided that she would go talk to the ringleader about joining. With her muscles, she would have no problem helping out with setting up and packing up.

"Jess! You saw that lion right? How did they get him to do that? Jumping through the fire like that! It was awesome, right Jess?" asked Alfred, who had allowed his friends to run ahead while he lagged behind to walk beside the girl.

"That was soo cool! Can we go again tomorrow?", he asked.

Jess never slowed her step as she snickered and answered the young boy, "Haha no! Once is enough. It'll just be the same thing again."

Jess pretended she didn't care for the circus too much. She couldn't tell the optimistic kid beside her what she was really thinking; that she just couldn't stand to watch those people enjoy living the life she wanted. Sure, it was tiring, they worked hard, and there were stressful times where they probably lacked food. But she still liked the way they lived as a community. Her mind wandered off as they all walked back to town.

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><p>As his eyes opened, Allen sat up halfway and looked around. The town was quiet. The sky was red. It was dawn, and the world had yet to wake up. His eyes widened as he realized he'd fallen asleep instead of leave like he planned to. This marked his second day in that town, and it was longer than he'd planned to stay there. Heck, he'd even already said his goodbyes to the people of the town. Seeing them again would be awkward. He got up and stretched his arms. Sleeping on a bench was not the most comfortable but he was used to it.<p>

Allen picked up Timcanpy and surveyed his surroundings. He could either stay for a while and have something to eat from the basket of food he had or he could set out while it was early. Needless to say, he chose the latter. He emptied the food he had into a cloth pouch which he then tied to his wrist, and then proceeded to walk towards the rising sun.

After a few minutes of walking, he glimpsed a figure, sitting along the sand banks, staring at the cirque group packing up. He stepped closer and realized that figure was none other than Jess, with her traditional auburn hair glowing almost a fiery red in the early morning sun. He watched as Timcanpy recognized her and fluttered over to hover in front of her face. She snapped into attention and with wide eyes looked at the creature in front of her, and within moments had jumped to her feet and noticed the young man.

"Allen! Hey. I thought you'd already left.." Jess bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed.

Allen laughed out loud and the leaves under his feet made a crunching sound as he got to her.

"Hi, sorry, did I surprise you?," he stated, with the corners of his lips curled up.

He was trying not to laugh at her. This was the second time they met, and this time, it was him that surprised her, and now it is him that was laughing at her. Funny how their situations flipped.

He continued, "Yes, I meant to leave, but somehow I ended up sleeping, and now..well I'm still here! I was really on my way off now. What are you doing here so early in the morning?"

Jess turned back to the scene across from them and sat down. Allen sensed a sudden change in the mood around them. She was preoccupied with something. He took a seat next to her and looked at her.

"Jess, is everything alright?", he asked.

"Everything's fine," she replied with a small smile. A sad smile.

"Allen, have you ever done something so bold and worried what would happen after you did?", she asked, turning to face him.

He chuckled, "Yeah, I guess I did do something pretty darn bold considering the fact that I ended up here. In fact, I think sitting here talking to you is the most normal thing I'd done in a while. But then again, my life is very different than most. Why do you ask?"

Timcanpy continued to hover around the girls' face, and she started, "I want to do something. But it's not something I've ever done before and to be honest, I'm a little concerned about how everyone in town will react. I'm worried. They might hate me for what I'm about to do."

Allen's attention peaked a little more as he started to realize what Jess was saying.

He wasn't sure how to reply, but decided to go for the safe route and play dumb, "What exactly, are you planning on doing?" His eyes lit up, maybe there was a way to make the situation work for them both.

Jess caught wind of his expression, and all of a sudden her face lit up. She sat up straight. "Allen. You have nowhere to go, correct?", she asked.

"Yeah...", he replied.

"In that case," she said as she looked him straight in the eyes, "Let's join the circus!"

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><p>Next time on A Different Situation, we encounter quite the different situation.<p> 


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone! Sorry for the ridiculously long absence. Life forced me to take a break from creative writing for a while. But here you are! Chapter 5! Things have finally started rolling in terms of the plot. You'll note I've taken some people's suggestions for splitting up paragraphs – hopefully this makes it easier for y'all to read. And I must admit, I HATE writing dialogue because I feel it interrupts real story telling but what can ya do?

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes** belong to Katsura Hoshino **and all other characters, ideas and themes **belong to me.**

Again, critical reviews welcome. I'm always looking to improve. Enjoy!

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><p>Allen stared at Jess, eyes wide open. <em>Did she seriously just suggest we…join the circus?<em>

Jess looked from Allen to the tents and back again expectantly. Her eyes full of hopes and dreams filled with the laughter of the audience, the lights and the sounds. She wasn't sure what she could possibly do, but she knew that Allen would make a fine clown!

Her hopes and dreams instantly came crashing down when her partner in crime burst into a fit of laughter. "..Hah! You're not serious, right Jess?", Allen laughed as he considered the possibility. "I mean..it would be fun and all…but I think I've had my fair share of working at the circus. I'm really sorry." He stated as he turned to her.

However, upon seeing the look on her face, Allen's good nature took over and he instantly stood up. "Ahhhh! I'm just kidding! Don't tell me you believed me.", he said. "Alright. Let's join the circus!".

Jess' smile soon returned to her features, "I knew you wouldn't refuse! Let's do this!" she said and she took off running towards the tents…

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><p>The sun started to set. Allen and Jess walked slowly toward the town, Jess looking ultimately defeated.<p>

"I still can't believe we got rejected by the circus! WHO GETS REJECTED BY THE CIRCUS?!" she yelled out and kicked the dirt.

"Yeah…", Allen walked beside her, quite upset albeit a bit relieved. Luckily enough, the circus director didn't think they'd be able to feed any more people, and so it was either join and starve, or stay where they are and actually live.

However, as they entered the town and the townspeople started to appear in the streets on their way back home, Allen couldn't help but drift off back to the times he spent with Mana. It was only two years of his life, but they were the most peaceful times. Before the Akuma. Before the Order. Before his curse. It was just Mana and him. Happily living every day as ordinary human beings, doing their best to survive. A sadness started to overcome him. The order…his home. It had only been a few days since his arrival. His thoughts went back to the Apocryphos. How much longer before it caught up? He hadn't noticed any activation in his arm, and knew he was okay for the time being. However, if that **thing** was indeed catching up, he worried he'd get Jess and the innocent townfolk caught up in everything.

Leaving was the only option. The 14th was still there, just beneath the surface. Waiting. Calculating. Allen knew that if Nea decided to take over, there was nothing he could do to stop him. He was after all, just a puppet. A useless puppet who couldn't protect a single thing if he tried. Everything he'd ever done so far had resulted in failure. And now, he was among strangers again. Strangers willing to give him a home and a life. But he couldn't accept that. It was far too easy, and he didn't think he deserved it.

He stopped walking and turned to Jess. "Hey… you know how I talked about leaving? I think it's about time I do so. I need to figure out my next steps. And I don't think staying here is the right option. As much as I'm thankful to you for everything you've helped me with, I can't settle down here. Not now, not like this", he stated.

Jess looked him in the eye, and replied, "I thought you might mention that idea of yours eventually. But I understand that it's important to you, and I'm not about to stand in your way. However! You clearly need a partner in crime. I don't know how far you'll manage to get if you just keep walking like you were previously. You want to leave, fine. But I'm coming with". Her gaze was resolute. There was no changing her mind. She couldn't bear the thought of letting someone so clearly depressed walk away with nothing but the clothes on his back.

Allen hesitated. The only reason he was leaving was to keep away from people he could potentially harm. And here was this innocent bystander, clearly having already made the decision to follow him. Why were human beings so stubborn? But looking at her reminded him of himself as a younger lad. That resolution he had when he left for the order. He knew it would be trouble. But he couldn't see himself doing anything else without Mana. And this young woman had the same resolution. He knew that if he rejected her now she'd just find a way to track him down and follow him later.

"…You're not going to let me say no are you?" he asked. "NOPE!" she replied, a huge grin growing on her pretty face. Her eyes sparkled like those of a child who'd just fooled a parent and received candy. Allen fought the smile trying to take over his features and sighed, "Okay then. But you need to understand that the road I'm travelling is long. There will be sadness, there will be fighting and there will definitely be blood. I can't guarantee that I can protect you, but then again, I won't be able to stop you and I'd rather you don't do things behind my back. It's going to get bad, and you're going to wish you could go back home; yet you might not be able to…" he stated. He knew he was being harsh but she had to know. This was not child's play.

Jess nodded. "I'm not going to be deterred by a little fighting and blood. I want to know what this world is that you're a part of. I've lived my whole life feeling out-of-place, Allen. It's about time I did things differently. And no, I'm not going to wish I could go back home, because the minute we leave this town; I don't have a home anymore. If this means I'll die sooner, then so be it. But I'm not about to spend the rest of my life living this monotonous existence of a happy townie working to earn a living day in and day out. The minute I saw you lying there on the street I knew I wasn't going to let you just disappear from my life. I need different. And I think you're going to lead me there. Besides, I'm a lot tougher than you think, Allleennn!", she replied defiantly, sticking her tongue out at him.

He couldn't help but smile. He liked having companions. Although he'd been through so much alone, every time he was with someone he was able to go further. He put his hand out to her and she took it eagerly. She would help him find the answers he seemed so desperate to find.

"Let's do this."

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><p>A smile played upon the lips of a man, as he observed the two teenagers below. His shadow stood tall on the roof of a building, eyes an intense gold. His partner, a white-haired man, sat cross-legged by the edge, fiddling with his thumbs. He had no need to look, he could hear everything anyway.<p>

"Let's go boyy~ Show me how far you can go." The gentleman snickered. "…let's go Wisely. Before that freak of nature shows up and makes a mess of our poor little brother", he stated to his partner before disappearing.

"Ahh, no-one waits for me these days," he mumbled. _Allen-kun. I wonder if you know how important your existence truly is…but don't worry, we won't ever let the order take you back. _

The white-haired hippie then stood up and disappeared, much like the gentleman did.

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><p>Allen felt a chill across his neck. <em>What was that? Surely not..Apo? <em>He surveyed the surroundings, his arm wasn't activated, and neither was his eye. Shrugging it off (though not completely), he walked faster to catch up to the eager young lady walking ahead of him.


	6. Chapter 6

Could it be...? A double release!? And an extra-long chapter to boot! All for my lovely readers.

Enjoy! And leave me a little review down below.

Be excited, things are finally happeninggg!

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes **belong to Katsura Hoshino **and all other characters, ideas and themes **belong to me.**

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><p>Back at the order, things had somewhat calmed down. The smell of coffee drifted through the air, and caused a very tired Komui to lift his head up off his desk. He spotted Lenalee walking toward him with his bunny mug and smiled. She always knew when he needed it most!<p>

Komui was exhausted. There was so much paperwork to do. His exorcists were all still recovering, Bookman & Lavi were missing, and no one had a clue where Allen had disappeared off to. For a moment the idea crossed Komui's mind that Allen had decided to join the Noah but he quickly shrugged it off. After all, Allen had told Lenalee that he was going to leave, on his own. Of course, the search was called off once Lenalee fessed up. No point in searching for someone who'd used the ark and who was likely long gone.

He thanked his little sister as he took the coffee and proceeded to take a sip. It tasted delicious. "Thanks, Lenalee. How are you doing?", he asked, putting his work on hold.

"I'm just fine, brother. Everyone else is also recovering well.", she replied, giving him one of her traditional smiles.

Komui grinned. His little sister was quite the tough kid, considering what she had gone through throughout her life. "Well that's just great then! Make sure you're eating well, too, Lenalee." he stated. He hadn't thought it was possible, but she seemed even thinner and far more fragile than usual. She was worried about Allen. They all were.

"I will!", Lenalee replied and turned to leave her brother with his piles of paperwork. And as he watched her leave, he recalled his last encounters with Allen. He knew he was turning into the 14th. Whether that had happened yet or not, Komui wasn't sure. There was also the matter of the Millennium Earl and the Noah. The Order hadn't figured out anything new about them, besides the fact that they are far stronger than they had shown. And could have possibly wiped out the exorcists a long time ago. But the biggest concern Komui had was about the Earl's 'obsession' with Allen and the 14th Noah.

Levellier had spoken with him shortly after the events. He'd revealed that Link was in fact still alive, and had been taken away from the Order so he could recover. Komui wasn't sure for what purpose Levellier had saved Link, but he suspected it was to do with Allen. After all, Levellier had also shared a disturbing fact about Allen. A truth Komui couldn't possibly share with anyone else. Because if he did, chances were they would stop fighting. The 'war' was not really a war. And winning, was completely out of the question. And so Komui agreed to keep silent. They could not let everyone give up and allow the Earl to walk around freely. They had to at least be the needle in the side, reminding the Earl that humans would never let him do what he pleased.

He couldn't let go of the matter of Allen either. The order seemed to have the idea that the reason behind the Earl's silence is because he's waiting for Allen before he makes his next move. And in their opinions, this translated to Allen being someone critical to the Earl's future plans. The current consensus was that the 14th possessed a power unparalleled by the rest of them; a power the Earl desired. Which was why it was imperative that they captured the young man before the Noah convinced him to join them.

Komui took another sip, happy to enjoy the pleasant warmth of the coffee sliding down his throat as he pondered the workload he was about to attack, putting other disturbing thoughts away for the time being.

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><p>A figure walked through a small town. He was dressed in a black coat, his short hair lying neatly atop his head. As he walked, he looked left and right, observing the townspeople go about their daily lives.<p>

The person he was looking for was not here. But there was a faint hint of him having been present. The older man adjusted his glasses and walked into a shop. An energetic little boy greeted him. "Hello Sir! You must be new in town! My name's Alfred. I work here part-time. How can I help you?" said Alfred, curious about the important looking man. He noticed a large cross hanging from the man's neck. _A travelling clergy-man maybe..?_ One of his eyebrows shot up as he looked at the man who was up until now, still silent.

He started to wonder if the man could speak at all, when the man looked at him and answered, "No thanks, young lad. I was merely looking around. And you're right! I'm passing by this town on my way to find a friend. Have a good day...". The older man turned and walked out of the shop, leaving Alfred to wonder what that was about.

It was an experience he'd mention to Jess, if only she and that new guy in town hadn't just packed up their bags and left like it was nobody's business. Alfred's cheeks flushed with rage. _I know I was too young for her but how could she just leave like that with a shady stranger she barely even knew!? _Alfred sighed, and continued his job of stocking books on shelves. She had seemed very eager to leave.

It was obvious she was rather taken by her odd-looking white haired companion.

It had been one week since they left. Although everyone was upset at Jess for leaving, they understood her need to introduce a change in her life. And Alfred was the first to wave goodbye. He had even pulled Allen down to his level by his shirt, and made him promise he'd take care of the orphan girl.

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><p>"Thanks, madam!", said Allen as he paid for and accepted a basket of groceries from a saleswoman. Him and Jess had left the little town little over a week ago, and they'd eventually made it to a city. Allen still wasn't sure of his next step. Going back to the order right now would be meaningless, and without his teacher General Cross Marian, he couldn't possibly figure out any of the answers. About who he was, and about what he needed to do next.<p>

The past week had been fun, mostly because of the crazy redhead that accompanied him everywhere. He walked away from the shop and looked around, locating Jess outside a pet shop not too far out. He could see Timcanpy's tail poking out from inside her bag. They had to hide the fluterring golem after a few people got scared of it at their previous stop. Besides, they didn't want to stand out more than they already did with their unique looks; namely, Allen's looks.

And so the pair of them managed to find a small inn with cheap rates for the night, and settled in. Allen of course took the floor, allowing the young lady to take over the small single bed that looked more like a single that was chopped in half. Allen laughed as Jess tried to find a comfortable location on her tiny wooden bed, complaining all the while, "I can't believe they call this a bed. This is ridiculous. Next time, I'm so claiming the floor!" They said their good-nights and Jess turned off the small bedside lamp. The both of them, tired of all the travelling, started to drift off into deep sleep...

The eerie silence that followed in the darkness was similar to that which deceives in the eye of a storm. A shadow moved past the window, eager to have finally found his 'friend'.

A few long minutes passed before a strange feeling overcame Allen. A piercing pain enveloped him suddenly in the darkness, and he couldn't help but let out a wail, much to the alarm of the now wide awake Jess. She flicked on the lamp and ran to Allen, noticing strange feathers all over his left arm. Or rather, where his left arm SHOULD be.

Jess tried to figure out how to help Allen. She was becoming more alarmed by the second. Allen was in excruciating pain and she could not understand what was happening to him! A strong breeze blew past her and a man shoved her against the wall, causing a small trickle of blood to start at her auburn hairline.

The cardinal took hold of Allen, and with a maniacal look in his dark eyes, he started for the window. But his attempt to escape was cut short by a figure at the window. Wisely was perched atop the window-sill, seemingly comfortable as if he was a bird. His arms went up to his forehead and the cardinal's eyes widened as the man uncovered a third eye on his forehead.

The cardinal smirked. There was no way a freak Noah would stop him from escaping. "Tch! You've made a mistake coming here, Noah. Allen is mine, no matter what", he stated, setting Allen down to quickly finish off the Noah.

However, Wisely was prepared. He laughed out as he activated his eye. He didn't have a death wish, to try and enter the cardinal's mind. He did however, manage to predict his movements, and dodge every attempt the apocryphos made to stab him with the feathers.

Wisely artfully ducked and twisted around the fearsome creature, aware that once he was caught, he was as good as done for. He was not a fighter like the other Noah. His speciality was the mind; yet he had a feeling that if he tried to enter the cardinal's brain, there may not be a way out anymore. Innocence was after all, their natural enemy. And so he kept dancing around the transforming figure, letting out snide remarks that so characterized Wisely. His smirk disappeared when he caught a glimpse of Allen's body, slumped on the ground behind the Apocryphos.

_You had better be alright, kid. Or else the Earl will have me for dinner! _He thought, hoping that Tyki would arrive sooner. Tyki had been called back by the Earl, and he'd asked Wisely to keep an eye on the young 14th, in fear of the apocryphos appearing. Unfortunately for Wisely, this was the precise time the foul creature decided to appear, and though he alerted Tyki as soon as he realized it, he'd have to distract the apocryphos until then.

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><p>Tyki ran through the halls of the Noah's home. Wisely had called for him as soon as he'd arrived, but he didn't have his chance to talk to the Earl, and he wasn't about to leave just yet. He used Wisely's telepathy to his advantage, begging the old hippie to distract the creature for just a little while longer.<p>

He arrived in front of the room of the Earl, and stopped. He could not let the Earl find out what they were doing. For one, the Earl was not aware of the Apocryphos just yet. And he hadn't asked the pair to follow Allen around either. Tyki was sure the Earl would be furious if he'd found out. Taking a deep breath, he lifted his hand and knocked, intending to be in and out of the room as fast as possible.

"...Come in", rang out the Earl's voice. He sounded exhausted. Tyki entered the room to find the Earl in bed again, looking feverish and half-asleep. "Are you alright, Earl? You look...not the best, to be honest," started Tyki, "You should probably sleep. I can come back later, you know."

The Earl sat up in bed, "No, it's alright. I'm fine. I just needed to speak to you about something. Come here, Tyki." The younger Noah walked over to the bed and sat down on an armchair, turning towards the older man. In recent years, the Earl had become very listless and depressed. The specific reason was not well known among the other Noah. However, Tyki was trusted on a higher level by the Earl, and he knew all about the Earl's sickly attachment to the 14th. There was a rather long history involving the two of them, and needless to say, Tyki felt a responsibility. To ensure that the 14th remembers, and to have him return to the side of their beloved Earl.

"What's wrong? Is it about Alle- uhh..the 14th?", asked Tyki, afraid of upsetting the older man who was like a father figure to him. The Earl chuckled, "No, not today I'm afraid. Tyki. Sheryl has been busy with something lately, and I cannot for the life of me figure out what. He won't tell me, and I'm afraid of what that man will do if given too much freedom. Do me a favour and look into it will you? I trust that you can handle whatever may arise...", he said, as his eyelids slowly dropped.

Tyki took this cue as his chance to leave. He would pursue Sheryl's actions as soon as he was sure the 14th was safe again. "As you wish, Earl. I will, but for now, you should get some well-needed rest. I'll let you know what I find out. Have a goodnight," Tyki said as he covered the Earl with the grey blanket and made his way out, flicking the lights off on his way out the doors hoping that the disturbed older man could at least get a full night's sleep.

As soon as he was within the closed off hallway, Tyki took off, and was soon going through the gate to rescue Allen and his companion from their predicament.

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><p>Alright folks! This is the first time I write out a fight(sort of) scene. So please tell me what you think. Did you like it this way? Would you rather there'd been more "kyaa"s and dialogue?<p>

It's review time, baby.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, in which we see someone we've all missed dearly...

Three chapters in under a week, woohoo! :3

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes **belong to Katsura Hoshino **and all other characters, ideas and themes **belong to me.**

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><p>Tyki appeared just in time to see the white monster hit Wisely square in the stomach, sending him flying back out of the very window he came in from. His eyes quickly scanned the small room, spotting Allen on the ground and his girl companion slumped against the wall, her auburn hair now caked in blood. The young 14th didn't seem to be bleeding, and so Tyki decided distracting the Apocryphos was his priority. Or at least getting it far away while he got the unconscious victims through the gate.<p>

Just as he made his decision, the apocryphos turned and spotted him.

"Oh, well look who's decided to join us..", it stated with a stoic look on it's face, "Come, I'll send you away like I did your friend. And then, I can finally reunite with Allen."

And with that, the white monster attacked.

Tyki scoffed, "You don't really think I'm going to let you just take the kid away, do you?" He activated his Noah power and the apocryphos slid right through him to the other side. Tyki grabbed an old chair, and breaking off the leg, he thrust it full power into the apocryphos' head. The white monster staggered backwards and fell back, momentarily incapacitated.

Tyki grasped the chance while the cardinal was confused and grabbed Allen and the young woman, each under one arm and jumped out the window. He could not afford to have a full on fight with the Apocryphos in that situation. However, the gate he had come through was one he was able to initiate from the ark. As he contemplated how he was going to get them away from there, he ran as far as possible, finding a hidden alley-way that could serve as a temporary hiding spot.

He travelled as fast as his Noah legs could take him, and they were now on the other side of the town from where they were attacked.

Tyki sat in the dark of the alleyway, considering their current options. Allen and Jess were lying beside him on the dirty concrete, and he had been forced to flee without Wisely. He hoped the old hippie was doing okay – Wisely was not the fighter type.

It was quite strange how the powers were divided. All the other Noah had some sort of fighting ability; whether it was the power to control opponents' movements or power to attack and cause severe damage. But Tyki could not remember Wisely doing anything else besides sitting there and using his brain. He envied him. Tyki was a strong Noah and very adept in fights, but he didn't enjoy fighting very much. He would much rather sit down and drink tea in front of a nice view any day.

The darkness was overwhelming – Tyki estimated it to be around 2 in the morning. If they stayed there much longer, there was a very high risk that the cardinal would find them again. Despite the cardinal travelling on foot, he was good at covering long distances over a short period of time. Unlike Allen and his partner, the cardinal needed no rest or sleep. He just walked on and on.

There was a stirring beside him, and the gentleman looked to his right to see the young 14th open his eyes slowly.

As his eyes focused and he caught sight of Tyki, Allen struggled to get up and leaned against the wall so he could remain upright. His eyes were glazed over and it was clear he was still in pain. The feathers on his arm had almost disappeared completely.

Allen looked to Tyki with many questions in his eyes, and noticing Jess unconscious on the ground beside him, he spoke up, "What happened..? Where are we…?"

"Well. Your lovely innocence monster decided to attack in your sleep. Luckily Wisely was nearby when it happened and he stalled him. When I arrived the two of you were already like this, so I brought you here. As to where this is..well..I have absolutely no idea", Tyki replied.

"Now the more important thing is…I can't get us much further from here without a gate," said Tyki as he looked Allen in the eyes, "Can you open one?"

Allen frowned. He remembered his promise to himself to never use that damned thing again. But catching sight of his female partner slumped on the ground like that hurt him. He didn't want people around him to suffer. Was it really alright to go back on one's decisions for the sake of protecting others? Didn't that defeat the whole purpose of making a decision in the first place? He was at a loss, perhaps there was a way to get her out of there without the need of a gate. Maybe if he just left her, she'd be safe.

But Allen couldn't bear to do that. Jess would never forgive him for walking away from her, and thinking about it, he realized he'd also never forgive himself. They decided to move forward together; and if he left her here now, he'd be abandoning a friend who literally gave up her everything so she could support him on his crazy journey.

As if reading the kid's mind, Tyki started, "Look, I don't know what kind of ideas have been going through that messed up mind of yours, but these are the facts: The Apocryphos is nearby, your friend is injured, and none of us can fight right now. We NEED to get out of here first. Do your crappy self-righteous thinking later!"

Tyki was right and Allen knew it. It was hard enough for the older Noah to not have already sliced off Allen's damned arm that kept giving away their location. It made no sense to him why Allen was so attached to something that was not giving him any sort of help. It wasn't like he could use the innocence, now that he was awakening as a Noah. It was just a hassle. An unnecessary, troublesome hassle that they did not need to deal with.

Allen looked again at his partner. Her clothes clung to her like a curtain of despair, desperately holding on to her existence. Her thin figure was covered in sweat and her face was pale. Her usually gorgeous red-brown hair was matted to her skull. He hadn't quite had the chance to look at her very closely throughout their experiences. But even lying there unconscious, her childish innocence was apparent on her features. There was a certain glow one would not expect of someone who was just attacked by a volatile creature. Her injuries were not serious, just some scratches here and there. Allen realized it was the fear that caused her to lose consciousness.

Fear; something she didn't have to face at all if she hadn't decided to follow him.

A small golden tail popped out of her bag, and the bag started to shift around and wiggle. Allen realized Timcanpy had been in there the entire time, unable to free itself. He let his little golem out, and watched it flutter around the alley for a few moments before setting on its owner's shoulder.

_["You had better protect her with everything you've got, loser!" Alfred had said, before they were leaving town. ]_

Most townspeople had gathered around to bid their farewells. They loved Jess, she was a symbol of hope within their town. Despite the environment she was born in, she had made the most out of it. And the townspeople had looked to Allen with those eyes. The eyes of a parent letting go of their child. Expecting her strong-looking companion to take over their role and protect her.

With that in mind, Allen looked back to the older Noah, "You're right. We should get out of here. And even though I didn't want to use the arc I guess there's no other choice…"

He got up, placed his forefinger and middle finger on the bridge of his nose, and proceeded to recall the song in his mind. That wretched song that he should not have been able to read.

He still couldn't understand why it was made of the characters him and Mana so clearly invented on their own. But he chose to ignore the looming questions temporarily, and closed his eyes. Tyki breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. He walked to Jess and picked her up, looking back to see a large white gate emerge out of nothing, extending in a large crystallized shape into the wall of the run-down building.

Once the gate had stopped growing, Allen motioned for Tyki to cross into it, and followed him right after, the gate shrinking and disappearing as soon as Allen had gone through.

At that, the alleyway regained its sinister silence, and the night wore on as the sun came closer to emerging from the horizon.

* * *

><p>Wisely had come to and hidden behind a nearby corner to try and grasp the current situation. Tyki seemed to have taken off with the 2 adolescents since there was no sound from the room any more. Moments later (or had it been longer..?) Wisely had seen the cardinal exit the building through the main doors, looking like nothing had happened. Like he hadn't been a terrifying monster just a moment ago. The nerve of that guy! Wisely almost wanted to jump at him and pull his hair out. Almost. But he did not have a death wish.<p>

And so he stumbled back up to the room once the cardinal had disappeared out of sight. He was relieved to see that the doors to the arc had remained, though surprised the cardinal didn't make use of them. It showed how much more important Allen was than destroying the other Noah.

Thanking a mysterious being (if one existed!) for their luck, he stumbled through the doors and found himself in the Noahs' common room. Panthera was lying on the ground, napping at the feet of Lulubell who looked up from her book to face Wisely. He was aware of her suspicions. She took in his sight top to bottom, and questioned his motives in being involved in any sort of fight. All without saying a word.

Lulubell was known for her beyond sickening loyalty to the earl. She was so preoccupied in taking care of the old man that she wouldn't bat an eyelash for another Noah. She regarded him with ferocity, aware that wisely's mind-reading put him at an advantage. Unlike her, he knew what the earl was thinking. He understood him. And this made Lulubell incredibly jealous. However, wisely knew she would do nothing to harm another Noah unless directly ordered to do so by the Earl. And luckily for him, the Earl valued Wisely, along with his abilities.

He disregarded the faint hostility she held toward him and slowly proceeded to the door, looking forward to a long, hot shower. He was slightly concerned about Tyki's whereabouts, but he knew Tyki was resourceful and would find a way to get the two adolescents away from the cardinal. Besides, the attack from the cardinal had taken a toll on him. He was exhausted.

As Wisely passed by the two Noah, Panthera opened one of his slim yellow eyes slowly and followed the silhouette of the white-haired Noah. Panthera never spoke to the others. He found no need to. Besides following orders, any additional communication only complicated what he saw as very fragile relationships. They were his family, and he despised watching them have such opposing views. Being one of the most mature members of the Noah clan, Panthera kept to himself as much as possible. He often spent quiet time with Lulubell, they were always on the same frequency, especially with him choosing to stay in his animal form.

* * *

><p>Lavi opened his eye, becoming vaguely aware of being tied up. His eye adjusted to the darkness, and after a few moments he realized he was in a small windowless room. A prison of sorts. His head ached and he couldn't make sense of what had happened. He remembered fighting. The third exorcists. News about Allen becoming a Noah. And then... Bookman Sr. talking to Sheryl, and pain.<p>

_So I'm in the Noah's arc right now, huh..wonder where that old man went off to. I hope he's...damn. What the hell's been happening?!, _he wondered to himself. It was obvious where he was, and he had a general idea of what had happened. Allen had turned into the 14th, and now Bookman Jr. and Sr. were in the bad guy's lair.

Bookman Jr. sat up, noticing very painful cuts and bruises all over his body. He winced in pain as he leaned back against the cold walls. His arms were tied behind his back, and his feet secured together with chains. It was quite dark, Lavi wondered if it was just as dark outside. He tried to remember more about the conversation he'd heard between panda and Sheryl. But as soon as he started to focus, he was knocked back to the present by the sound of footsteps, echoing down a hall not too far away.

His eyes widened and he sat up straight, trying to ignore the shocks of pain that were sent down his spine. Someone was approaching the room he was in!

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><p>Lavi's back! Yay! As usual, I encourage any criticisms on writing style, opinions on story, etc.<p> 


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8, where more stuff happens and such...

THIS IS THE UPDATED CHAPTER. SO SORRY ABOUT THE EDITING PROBLEMS IN THE PREVIOUS ONE!

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes **belong to Katsura Hoshino **and all other characters, ideas and themes **belong to me.**

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><p>Johnny stumbled out of the little room and started heading to the cafeteria. He had wanted to go find Allen, to help him out as a friend. But section head Reever was adamant about not letting him go. Johnny had no way to protect himself or Allen. If he left now, he would put himself in jeopardy and become a burden for the young man. Reever had made it clear that he would not allow Johnny to leave under any circumstances. He didn't even fall for Johnny's sick grandmother excuse.<p>

It was a rather intense argument, now that Johnny thought back to it. He had been holding files in his hands, and actually threw them in Reever's face at one point. He really wanted to leave. _Why doesn't anyone want to help Allen?! Are we supposed to just let him fend for himself like this, when his life is so obviously falling apart...!_

Johnny let out a sigh and entered the grand cafeteria. He had been working out, in the hopes that he could leave the order. But despite not being allowed to leave, he kept up his routine, and could see a clear difference in his physical health. Now if only he could change the way he thought about things. Johnny knew he could be quite the coward sometimes. He was scared of a lot of things, and he figured the main reason was probably that he was never prepared for joining the Order. He joined as a scientist, thinking it'd be cool to work in the background, helping the exorcists as they set out to save the world. Oh how wrong he was...there was nothing cool about watching one's friends fight and die day in and day out, unable to help them in any way.

His mind went back to Kanda Yuu for a brief moment. No one had seen the exorcist since Allen gave him a way out back when they were fighting Alma and headquarters had been destroyed. He wondered if the exorcist was still alive. But he didn't think he'd ever see the grumpy man again. If he'd been in his shoes and was given a way out of this place, he'd never go back.

And as Johnny sat down with his tray and bit down on the sandwich, he contemplated the possibility of successfully running away without anyone noticing...

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><p>Lavi stared out into the darkness as the footsteps grew louder and louder. He was scared, for himself and for the old man. He still had no clue where Bookman Sr. was, or if he was even still alive.<p>

Out of the darkness there came a loud sound, and a blinding light forced Lavi to shut his one working eye tight. His eye hadn't seen light in days.

He opened it again slowly, and saw a large rectangle of light, a door! And the tall silhouette of a man standing there. It was Sheryl, Lavi realized. The Noah walked over to Lavi and crouched down in front of him. Lavi stared at the Noah with a look of defiance as he watched strands of the Noah's hair escape the ponytail and fall around his shoulders.

"Well hello there. How'd you like your little trip to the darkness? Are you now ready to tell me WHERE THE 14TH IS?!", Sheryl screamed.

Lavi couldn't speak. He opened his mouth to try and a series of coughs escaped. Come to think of it, when was the last time he had any food or water? Memories of the conversation they were having started to resurface in Lavi's mind. After all, a Bookman never forgets.

He remembered Sheryl interrogating both the Bookmen about the 14th. About his role in the war, and asking about his whereabouts. The Noah's hatred toward Allen, or rather toward Nea, was crystal clear.

He tried again to speak, but the Noah had no patience, and struck Lavi hard across the face with his fist.

Sheryl was an impatient man. He'd been warned about his impulsive ways many times by Tyki and the Earl. But he wasn't about to change who he was. They'd just have to deal with it. And so Sheryl sat there, not amused by the young bookman's inability to give him the answers he desired.

Sheryl believed Allen was responsible for Road's disappearance. Though not quite sure she was dead, he was furious when he'd found out she was attacked by none other than the apocryphos. The thing that was deemed 'grim reaper' of the Noahs. And all for that pathetic Allen Walker. He wanted to find him. And he wanted to kill him. 14th Noah or not, he didn't care. The boy had to die, before he did any more damage to Sheryl's precious family.

And so Sheryl continued to interrogate the poor youth, ignoring the bookman's bleeding wounds and thirst.

Little did he know his horrific actions would soon be found out...

* * *

><p>White buildings surrounded the three individuals as they walked through the town. It was peaceful, quite unlike the environment they were just in. The sky was blue and it was quiet. The red haired girl was slumped over the shoulder of the tall gentleman, whose appearance now implied he was anything but that. Yet even with his clothes ripped up and dusty, Tyki carried himself in a rather graceful way.<p>

A couple steps behind, the white haired young man followed. His feet dragged on one after the other, as he found it too exhausting to lift them up. He looked at Jess, lying over Tyki's shoulder and wondered if she would want to go back home once she woke up. Granted, her home was a worn down apartment in a poor town in the middle of nowhere. But at least there was no apocryphos there. No big monster chasing her around with intent to hurt her.

Allen had been surprised to see Tyki helping him. He was wary at first and still was, but he remembered how Tyki and Road had helped get him out of the order. Road had jumped in front of him to shield him. He was confused. He'd thought the noah hated him. That he was their enemy. All of a sudden he was seeing them in a new light. Unless of course, a new idea occurred to Allen, they are simply using him to get to another goal. He thought this was likely true, but the kind side of him appreciated their help. Things would have been very different and perhaps worse had they not showed up. This was true for both occasions. For the time being, Allen couldn't feel the struggle of the 14th. And he knew that once he'd changed, he would not be able to get away from the noah. He wondered if he even had a choice in the way things were going to turn out.

After he'd escaped from the order, he had a conversation with Tyki. And Tyki had told him to 'show the monster who's boss'. He had made it sound as if it was possible for Allen to prevent his turning into a noah, and yet at the same time that he would never be able to escape or hide from them.

Looking at the figure walking in front of him, Allen cleared his throat. "Umm... Tyki..?", he hesitantly started.

The tall gentleman kept walking at the same pace, and without turning back replied, "Yea, kid? What's up?"

"This is going to sound odd. And I know you'd probably maybe not want to tell me if such a thing exists..but..is there a way for me to actually stay as I am? And not turn into a noah?", Allen slowly asked.

If there was a way for him to remain human, – or whatever he really is – then he wanted to know about it.

Tyki stopped walking. He turned around to face the white-haired kid. Allen stared right at him, the resolution clear in his eyes. He realized he had still been calling Allen a kid, but he was hardly one anymore. His features were sharper than ever, he'd grown a lot taller, almost reaching Tyki's height. His body was built like that of a man, his voice had lost its softness without Tyki even noticing. Heck, even his hair had almost reached shoulder length. The older gentleman chuckled loudly. _Looks like I'll have to come up with a new nickname for him..._

Allen's jaw dropped. "Why are you laughing at me?! It's a valid question you know." he retorted, not at all happy with the way Tyki reacted.

"No, that's not what I'm laughing at. I just now noticed how much older you've gotten. I can't call you a kid anymore", Tyki answered.

"Oh...Well get used to it. Getting older is what humans do." Allen answered. _And I'd like to keep it that way, _he added in his head.

"As far as I know, the only way to suppress a Noah is if the Earl himself wishes for it. But the 14th...he's no ordinary Noah. And even if the Earl was capable, he doesn't exactly want to..so you're sort of stuck, ki-uh..Allen", Tyki replied, "You're going to become a Noah, so I say it's best to just get used to the idea now". Tyki turned around and continued to walk.

They were using the opportunity to allow Allen to take a short rest while they figured out where to go. Allen scoffed at Tyki's reply, but followed anyway. He'd find a way, he was sure of it. No way was he just going to sit back and let that crazed monster take over his mind and body.

"Now as for where we're going...there's a small town I know of, it's quite far from where we previously were so that thing would need a while to catch up..maybe we could go there?", Allen suggested.

"Orrr...we could go into the Noahs Ark", added Tyki, aware of Allen's immediate silence. He saw a bench up ahead and walked over to lay the girl down on it. He faced the young boy.

"You don't want to? It's really not that bad, Allen. You get fed delicious meals every day, and likely won't have to fight as much. Actually it's a pretty awesome deal if you think about it. Forget the order. Forget those silly friends of yours that did nothing to help you when you needed them most. We can be your family. We ARE your family."

Allen wasn't convinced. His friends did help him, or at least they tried. And the Noah? They were Nea's family, not his. He recalled the last conversation he had with General Cross, before the man had disappeared.

_What if I told you that when you turn into the 14th, you'll have to kill someone you love?, _the man had asked calmly.

Allen didn't want that to happen. Maybe joining the Noah was the only way to avoid that. But he wouldn't do it now. That was his last resort. Allen didn't want to give up the idea of being able to suppress his noah longer.

_If only I could hold out a little more.. just a little longer would be fine! _He thought. He looked back up at Tyki.

"No, the town's fine for now. I'm not about to give up this fight just yet", he said.

Tyki's smirk widened into a smile. He watched the young lad speed up to a blue door and open it.

"Alrighty then. Town it is. But I may not be around to help you next time, ki – dang! – Allen". The older gentleman followed Allen through the blue door, and they soon found themselves on a small road beside a grassy bank. He was glad that Allen's companion hadn't woken up during the ordeal, he didn't want to be there to explain to her what had happened. Laying her down on the grass, he bid his farewell and walked away from the pair, in the opposite direction of the town.

* * *

><p>The Earl opened his eyes. He felt groggy and every part of his old body ached.<p>

He noted a presence beside him, and turned his head to find Wisely sitting beside him. The white-haired hippie was sitting on the floor cross-legged, eyes closed. Meditating?

Wisely always accompanied the Earl everywhere. He liked being in his company, and unlike others, the Earl's mind wasn't always full of useless thoughts. He was a very smart man, and Wisely liked him. However, he had noticed something strange going on in the home, and wasn't about to let it slip past the Earl unnoticed.

The Earl was lately always asleep in his room. And though it was large in size, the furniture was very simple. There was a dresser, a bed and a nightstand, as well as a bookcase on the far side, overflowing with books. He was an avid reader, before this whole thing started. Ever since they found out who the 14th was, the Earl found himself in a deep depression.

The Noah were all confused about the whereabouts of Road. She had just disappeared without so much as a warning. According to Tyki's testimony (and Wisely knew it to be true), Road had taken a direct hit from the Apocryphos and was with Tyki and Allen until she suddenly turned to dust. Thanks to that, Sheryl had been more on edge than he normally was, and there was a constant murderous look in his eyes.

The Earl started to sit up, prompting Wisely to open his eyes, get up and help the Earl. "Thank you", the Earl said as he leaned back into the raised pillows.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and took a deep breathe. He accepted a cup of water from the white-haired hippie and after having a drink he gave it back to him and spoke.

"What brings you here, Wisely? Is everything alright? You seem...off."

Wisely chuckled. "Always the observant one, aren't we?", he said as he winked at the old man. "Everything's just fine, but something's been happening, and I'm not sure that you're aware of it. It's about Sheryl..."

"I know he's up to something, though what that 'thing' is, I have absolutely no idea. Funny you'd mention this, I just spoke to Tyki a little while earlier about looking into it. Did he say anything to you?"

"Haha no, but I guess we're all on the same wavelength", he said, settling back down into his cross-legged position in the large room.

"Millenium Earl, there's a human being in this ark. One you don't know about."

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><p>Tadaaa! Oh no! The Earl knows about Lavi, what on earth will happen to him now? And what's Allen going to do with the unconscious Jess along with him? Find out next, on a Different Situation. As usual, leave me a review if you've got any criticisms, questions, comments. I love reviews!<p> 


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, in which truths are revealed.

A/N: I've finally finished school, so from now on I will be updating more often.

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes ****belong to Katsura Hoshino ****and all other characters, ideas and themes ****belong to me.****

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><p>A door slammed and Sheryl jumped up from the game of chess he was playing with Fiddler. The Earl stormed into the study hall, eyes wide and face red with anger.<p>

"Oh! Uhm..Earl..good evening", said Sheryl, briefly wondering if his secret had been discovered. He didn't have to wonder for long because the Earl suddenly grabbed him by the collar and lifted him six inches off the ground. Sheryl knew what a strong man the Earl was, and coupled with the flash of anger in the older man's eyes, Sheryl could see he was as good as dead unless a miracle was to occur. The chess pieces had been knocked over in the process, and Fiddler was now standing a few feet away, placing the furniture between him and the scene occurring in front of him.

"Hi?! That's what you have to say, you Jerk?! How DARE you! How dare you act behind my back? Bringing a human into the Ark without my knowledge! An exorcist, no less! Are you so warped in your cynical little world that you've forgotten who's in charge here?!," The Earl yelled at Sheryl and let go of the others collar, allowing him to slump down to the floor.

Sheryl had started to shake at this point, after all, if the Earl so wished, all the Noah would cease to exist without him so much as batting an eyelash.

The Earl was seething with anger. He'd known that Sheryl had a disobedient streak in him – much like the 14th – but he never expected he'd do something like capture an exorcist without at least informing the millennium Earl. The Noah may be strong, but they had always and will always exist to act upon the wishes of the Millennium Earl.

He stormed out of the study, passing by Tykki at the doorway.

Sheryl was a lucky man – Tykki had expected the Earl to vaporize him on the spot.

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><p>Jess awakened to find the sun shining into her eyes. She squinted and looked around her, it was a small shabby room. There were two twin size beds on opposite sides of the wall. A small closet, open and empty was in the left corner of the room.<p>

In between the two beds, a small radio sat on a nightstand, seemingly the only medium of entertainment in the room. What looked like a rather rusty sink protruded from the wall, right outside a door which Jess assumed was the bathroom. She sat up in bed, thirsty for some water.

At that moment, the little bathroom door opened and Allen walked out. It took him a moment to notice Jess sitting upright and when he did, he immediately rushed over to her.

"Hey! How are you feeling?" his brows furrowed together as he sat on the edge of the bed.

It had been a few hours since Tykki left them at the riverbank. Allen had carried Jess on his back to a nearby motel, where they found cheap rates to stay a night or two. Tykki may have had something to do with the money used in order to book the room.

Jess rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, noting her dirtied clothing. She peered at Allen with wide eyes, faintly remembering being at another motel and seeing something, something worrisome. Jess's body tensed up, her palms became sweaty and her attention started to fade as she recalled the events she'd seen. It was dark and they were sleeping.

There had been a loud noise, a figure standing over Allen, her screaming, a white monster throwing her against the wall –

"Oh my God! Allen, something's after you! Where is it? It'll find us! That..that MONSTER!", tears welled up in Jess' eyes and she curled up on the bed, Allen desperately trying to calm her down.

A few minutes passed in silence, nothing but the sound of the weeping girl and the faint sounds of a lively town outside their little room. Allen sat beside her, wondering what he could do to make things better.

He knew bringing her along was a mistake, a ridiculous idea. She was just a human, a girl who grew up in a peaceful town. And even though she'd had a hard life, she didn't know of akuma, or exorcists..or the apocryphos.

As he watched her wipe her tears feverishly, he wished he could take back the last few days altogether. But he knew that wasn't an option. Remembering Mana's words, he spoke.

"Jess, I'm sorry. I really should have prepared you better for all of this..."

Jess looked up through her tears. She saw Allen, an alarmed look of concern on his face, an expression so regretful and sad, she couldn't help but reach out and place her hand on his shoulder. She wiped her tears away with her other hand and sat up straight on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she spoke.

"No, I don't want you to blame yourself. I just..I was just..uhm, caught off guard i think. I just didn't expect that kind of thing to exist...

You did warn me that there'd be scary things and blood..."

"That's no reason for me to have thought this was even remotely safe for you. Jess, if you want to go back, I can very easily get you back to the town. I mean it." Allen offered to send Jess home, but her eyes immediately shone with a defiant fire.

"No! I made the decision to leave, going back now would be giving up on myself. I can't do that. I won't. I'd be going backwards...the point is to move forward is it not?"

Jess' words hit home. _Never stop moving forward. _Allen took a deep breath. He could potentially continue to argue with her and maybe even take her home despite her protests, but he couldn't change her mind. Looking at her now, he noticed a big difference between this girl with the fiery eyes, locked on his face as if daring him to refuse, and the girl who was curled up, crying and scared just a few minutes ago. This Jess was in control. This Jess knew better now, knew to not let fear take over. But was that going to be enough, he wondered? Would this brave Jess with those eyes be able to keep the same expression if the apocryphos shows up again? Or the Noah?

Allen decided the best thing he can do for her is not let her be surprised again. He would have to tell her everything, to make sure she was prepared. He brushed his messy white hair back from his face with his long fingers, took up a more comfortable position on the bed, facing Jess.

"I think it's best if I tell you the truth...", he stated, a statement that made Jess' face light up with a grin.

"Yes! I want to know. Tell."

"Okay, here's how it began...

* * *

><p>Lavi's eye was slowly getting used to the light. He was being led by his shirt cuffs, following the sound of footsteps. It had been a few hours since he'd last seen the violent Noah. And now another one had shown up, simply opening the door, and beckoning lavi to exit the small filthy cell.<p>

His legs could barely carry him. He was thirsty, tired and in pain, but worst of all, he was extremely confused. He had no idea where he was going or what was going on, something rather unusual for a junior bookman. His mind occasionally drifted back to the old sickly man, but Lavi forced the thoughts out of his mind.

That's right...senior was probably gone by now.

The red-head looked up to the pair of feet walking in front of him. White sandals and white clothes, it was another Noah. But he wasn't sure which one, the lights in the hallway were too bright for his eye. Still, he kept alert, taking him out of the little cell wasn't necessarily a good thing.

They took a turn to the left, and suddenly the lights got calmer, and the cold ceramic floor turned into a lavish oriental carpet. Thanks to the lights being dimmer Lavi slowly looked up. He was in a fancy hallway, it almost looked like a large home, except it was too large. It still had a very dark feeling, but Lavi suspected that anywhere the Noah hung around would feel the same.

Lavi looked up at the person who was leading him through the hallway. It was a tall man with long dark hair. Lavi almost stopped walking. But it wasn't Sheryl, it couldn't be. If it was, he'd have gotten hit a few more times by now.

He tried to think back. It was hard to focus through his exhausted mind, but no sooner had he recognized the individual that they stopped in front of a large door. Tykki turned around to face the bookman.

The young red-head looked emaciated, and seemed to be focusing all his efforts on staying upright. He looked like he wanted to talk, but Tykki doubted any words would come out of his parched throat. Pushing the door open, he guided the exorcist into a large study. There was a set of couches by the fireplace, on which there was a change of clothes and a blanket. On the table in front of the couches, there was a tray with some food.

Without uttering a word, Lavi was made to sit down on the couch, and the tall Noah turned and made his way to the door.

"You've got about half an hour to yourself. Get yourself looking presentable and have some food. The Earl is going to show up soon and you'd better not try to get away before that", he said as he walked out and closed the door.

Tykki was angry at having to 'help' the exorcist. But after what Sheryl did, the Earl didn't seem to care much for which side did what. He was trying to achieve a certain goal, and apparently, a hurt exorcist was damaging to his plans. Tykki clenched his fists tight as he walked away from the room. It took all his control to not turn around and slash at the guy, just for fun. He could recall having some good fights with the red-head some time ago, but the young man looked very different now. That damned Sheryl! Forcing him to have to **serve** an exorcist. Tykki shuddered. He was above them. But playing with them was fun, and so he distracted himself by thinking of how the next fight would possibly go.

Back in the study, Lavi sat there looking at the fire with a blank expression on his face. He tried to sort out his thoughts to no avail. Some Noah were hurting him, others were providing him with warmth, clothes and food.

_What on earth is going on here? _

Reluctantly, Lavi decided remaining the way he was wouldn't change anything. He remembered Tykki telling him he only had about half an hour before the Earl showed up, and since running away was not an option in his current state, the bookman decided it wouldn't hurt to accept the help being offered, even if it wasn't sincere.

He slowly changed out of his moist wardrobe into a white shirt and pair of black slacks. Despite being next to the fire, Lavi still felt chilled, and so he wrapped the blanket around his shoulders, and looked at the table. There was a teapot, with a mug beside it, and some slices of cheese and biscuits. A plate of colourful fruits presented itself to a redhead who was suddenly quite aware of his hunger.

He briefly wondered what the possibilities were that the food was poisoned, but instinct took over, and he started to eat.

_I wonder what the Millennium Earl wants me for. Damn, how the heck did all of this happen? Am I ever going to get away from these people...?_

Soon, a glow had returned to the redhead's face. He was still alert, and he thanked the heavens for the seemingly unpoisoned food. Pondering his possible next moves, Lavi jumped up at the sound of a loud click, and his heart started to race as the door slowly opened again..

_The Millennium Earl! _

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><p>The sun was now mid-sky, and the streets regained their silence as families went home for lunch time. Jess leaned back against her pillow and let out a sigh. It was a lot to handle. But it certainly explained a lot. She looked back at her white haired companion,<p>

"So, basically, you were born with an arm made of "innocence", and decided to use it to fight these monsters called Akuma. And these Akuma are made by the Millennium Earl, who's this evil Noah person and has another 12 or 13 followers, one of which might be **in you. **And you were kicked out of the Order place who are the good guys, because you might be one of the bad guys, but you don't want to join the bad guys, and that's when you ended up in my town...did I miss anything?", she asked, pensively.

Allen chuckled at her efforts to summarize it, "Yeah, that's the gist of it."

"And you're not sure what you want to do now?", she asked.

"Well, there's really not much I CAN do at the moment, I just want to figure out what really happened. I mean, ideally, I'd have wanted to ask Mana directly about everything...", Allen replied, his voice trailing off as he remembered his adoptive father.

Another option would have been to ask the man who'd raised him all those years, but Cross Marian was also most likely dead.

"Oh well", Allen said, standing up. "There's not much we can change now, and I'm sure you're just as hungry as I am. What say you we go cook up something?", he suggested.

Jess immediately replied, "Oh yes I'm so hungry! Let's make soup, we've got some vegetables left over!"

And with that, the two put behind the current troubles. Jess was rather glad that Allen finally told her the truth. She felt bad for him, at such a young age he had already seen more than most. She believed he wasn't evil, he didn't seem like it at all. And as she helped cut the vegetables, she wondered what she could possibly do to help him in the future. First on her list: keep an eye out for the Apocryphos. She would not let that thing get a hold of Allen again.

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><p>What did you think?<p>

Also, big thank you to reviewer **scoyblue** for helping point out some errors in the story. Since you're anonymous I couldn't reply but I hope you could see this. Thank you for the structured criticism, I do agree with your points. Correction: Jess is a street **urchin**. But I don't think I'll go back and fix it, what's done is done. Here's to hoping you all like my future chapters better!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10, in which Lavi meets a very important person...

A/N: I lied in my previous chapter, I went back to school - hence the delay -_- now I'm REALLY done. (3 degrees later...)

Allen, and all other -man characters, ideas and themes **belong to Katsura Hoshino **and all other characters, ideas and themes **belong to me.**

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><p>The door opened and Lavi looked on with fear in his eyes as a figure walked in. He breathed a sigh of relief when the person who walked in was just an older looking Noah, and not the terrifying fat suit he was envisioning. The man looked at the emaciated red-head with confusion. Why did he seem <em>relieved? <em>The Earl took a seat on a red sofa opposite the young man, appreciating the warmth from the crackling fireplace.

"What's your name, exorcist?" he asked.

"Uh… L-Lavi…which one of the Noah are you..?" questioned Lavi. The elder man looked weary, definitely not as though he was about to go fight an exorcist. Lavi thought it strange that he couldn't recognize this Noah, he thought his memories included all of them already. But then again, his mind was still fuzzy from the past few days.

The Millennium Earl was confused yet again, did he really seem like _JUST ANOTHER NOAH_?! "I'm the one who tells the rest of them what to do. I'm also the one who creates the Akuma", he answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Lavi's jaw nearly dropped to the ground as he realized this was the Millennium Earl himself. "Oh my gosh. I'm sorry, I just... You didn't look like I was expecting you to and uh…yeah... sorry…" he trailed off.

"Oh right. The fat suit. I just don't really like showing my real face to people", the Earl answered in a very monotone voice. He continued, "So, Lavi. I was not aware of what Sheryl had been doing, and I wanted to make sure you knew that it was not with my permission that he kidnapped you."

Mentioning Sheryl snapped Lavi back to reality, and he recognized the seriousness of the situation. He was sitting in front of the man single-handedly responsible for the deaths of millions of innocent people, his exorcist friends included! Rage started to fester in the back of Lavi's mind as he thought of his mentor. He straightened in his seat and his eye sharply took in the Millennium Earl's almost human features.

"What happens now, then? Are you going to kill me?" Lavi asked the man. It would make no sense for the Earl to show him his true face if he intended to simply let Lavi go. The Black Order could only assume that the Earl was aware of his kidnapping, so from the enemy's side, it made no difference what the Earl was telling him. Lavi was certain he'd never see the sky again. A part of him wondered if there was any chance he could harm the Millennium Earl, but remembering his current physical state, Lavi quickly pushed that thought aside. The chances of success were next to none.

So then, could he believe what this man was saying? Or was the Earl simply trying to fool Lavi into trusting him? The Noah were not overly known for their honesty, but then again, no one really knew much about the Earl himself. He could be different. He could be worse. He could be much, much worse. Lavi was staring at the weary gentleman with his one eye as his brain started to over-work itself.

The Earl got up and walked to a nearby booth where he took out a glass and started to pour himself some whiskey. He nudged the bottle toward Lavi, in a way of offering a drink.

The young man slowly shook his head, not taking his eyes off the Earl. The Earl then put the bottle away and came back to his seat. He didn't seem to be in any sort of rush, was he always like this!? The silence was not helping Lavi, and it made him extremely uncomfortable.

Finally, after what seemed like hours but was a matter of seconds at most, the Earl spoke, "No... I'm not planning on killing you, _just yet_. I don't think losing the new Bookman would be of much help to anyone. Someone has to tell the true story, you know."

The Earl took a sip of his whiskey and continued, "And do you know what the most important element is to storytelling? Point of view. Young man, you have been part of the Black Order for a long while now, and I would argue that you're well versed in how the war is occurring from their end. But what about me? My family? My story?" Lavi could now see the liquid shaking in the Earl's glass. He was getting slightly frazzled, with an intense look in his eyes and it scared the young man. An angry Millennium Earl can't be a good thing.

It seemed as though the Earl read the young man's fears. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths.

"I think that it's time for you to understand the world from my perspective. How would you feel about spending some time among us, the Noah." The Earl shifted to the edge of his seat, eyes wide and continued, "That stupid Black Order are not at all who they make you think they are. This is not a good versus evil fight. I think there's far too much misunderstanding. You're the only one I can think of that can stand on that middle ground with credibility."

Lavi was furious. This monster was asking him to take his side?! He stood up quickly from his seat, ready to face the Earl, "What reason could you possibly need me to do that for?! It's not like you even care what the humans think! You're just some freak willing to wipe out an entire planet for your own selfish needs, whatever the hell they are!

"I'm not interested. If you want to kill me, fine, but I don't think your side needs an explanation. You've been terrorizing humans for so many years, and now all of a sudden you what, want to be understood? Yeah, right!" Lavi huffed and sat back down, his face flushed with anger. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

The Earl didn't seem taken at all by the young man's outburst. Instead, he calmly explained, "It's not the humans I want to understand me. It's Allen. You're right, I could care less what those idiots you call friends think of me. I'm far older, and have existed longer. In fact, I know of a world they never even know existed. I don't think I need to explain myself to them. But Allen, on the other hand, is different. He's the only one I trust. I need him by my side."

The Earl took another sip of his whiskey. He watched Lavi's features ease up. Lavi had completely forgotten for a second about Allen. His dear friend who had been taken prisoner after the Black Order discovered he was the host of the fourteenth Noah. He realized he had no clue where Allen was and how he was doing. Or any of his friends for that matter. It was scary, to think that Allen was in any way connected to this man sitting in front of him.

"Why Allen? What is he to you?" asked Lavi.

"That's none of your concern, child. All you need to know is that he is going to be of the utmost importance in this war. To a Bookman, this should be very valuable knowledge. Act upon it. And do me a favour: stop questioning every damn thing I say!", the Millennium Earl downed what was left of his drink, and got up to leave, setting his glass down on the booth on his way out.

"You have 24 hours to decide. Death or the Noah."

The heavy doors shut loudly behind the elder man. Lavi sat in silence for a few minutes, processing the conversation he just had.

* * *

><p>Sorry for the short chapter! But it didn't feel right to lump such a serious conversation with anything else.<p>

Let's play a game now. I want **FIVE** reviews before I publish the next chapter. How bad do you want it?!


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